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Show HN: A toy version of Wireshark (student project)
a year ago
- Vanta is a lightweight, fast, command-line-based network behavior analyzer.
- It reconstructs protocol-level flows and extracts structured activity from captured data.
- Supports HTTP, DNS, TLS (with partial fingerprinting).
- Automatically reconstructs bidirectional flows.
- Outputs clean JSON-formatted summaries.
- Single binary, no external dependencies.
- Developed and tested on a MacBook Air M1 by an undergraduate student.
- Project is a personal response to political pressure on international students.
- Thanks to professors and schools for standing up for students.
FreeBSD Developers Deciding What to Do for WiFi with FreeBSD 15
a year ago
- FreeBSD developers are improving WiFi support for laptops, but progress is incomplete.
- FreeBSD 15 may declare WiFi support as 'unstable' to allow future breaking changes.
- Declaring WiFi support as 'stable' would prevent breaking changes due to ABI stability policies.
- The focus is on the FreeBSD KPI compatibility layer to leverage Linux wireless drivers.
- Bjoern Zeeb explained the situation on the FreeBSD mailing list, inviting community feedback.
- The 'unstable' approach allows for continuous improvements in FreeBSD 15.x releases.
Google Restricts Android Sideloading–What It Means for User Autonomy and Freedom
a year ago
- Google has introduced new restrictions on sideloading Android apps in Singapore, blocking certain apps with sensitive permissions if downloaded via browsers, messaging apps, or file managers.
- The Play Integrity API allows developers to limit sideloaded app functionality, pushing users toward the Google Play Store.
- Critics argue these measures strengthen Google's monopoly over app distribution, reducing user freedom and innovation.
- Purism offers privacy-focused alternatives like the Librem 5 and Liberty Phones, running PureOS, a Debian-based Linux OS.
- PureOS supports open-source apps without exploitative data mining, ensuring user autonomy and security.
- Purism's ecosystem provides an ethical, open alternative to Google's increasingly locked-down Android ecosystem.
Xlibre project's fork of the Xorg xserver
a year ago
- Xlibre is a fork of the Xorg xserver with code cleanups and enhanced functionality.
- The fork was necessary due to toxic elements within Xorg projects, allegedly sabotaging progress.
- Redhat employees purged the Xlibre founder's GitLab account on freedesktop.org on June 6th, 2025.
- Xlibre is an independent project, free from BigTech affiliations and discriminatory policies like DEI.
- The project welcomes anyone regardless of background, as long as they treat others nicely.
- Module ABIs have changed; drivers must be recompiled to avoid crashes or startup issues.
- Console lockups may occur if input drivers fail to load due to version mismatches.
- Proprietary NVidia drivers might break as they haven't kept up with Xorg updates.
- Most xorg drivers should work after recompiling, with some exceptions.
- Xlibre repositories moved to GitHub after being deleted from freedesktop.org.
- Communication channels include a mailing list, Telegram channel, and Matrix room.
Before LibreOffice there was OpenOffice, and before there was StarOffice
a year ago
- LibreOffice evolved from OpenOffice, which was based on StarOffice, a proprietary suite from the 1990s.
- Stefan Soyka joined Star Division in 1990, working on Star Writer, the foundation of today's LibreOffice Writer.
- Star Division initially developed a DOS-based text processor, Star Writer, which funded the graphical Star Lab project in Hamburg.
- Marco Börries foresaw the importance of graphical user interfaces (Windows, X Window, macOS) for future office applications.
- The Star View compatibility layer enabled cross-platform development but initially lacked a full application.
- The Hamburg team included around 20 people, with key contributors like Thomas (Windows), Dirk (Mac), and Jürgen (file imports).
- Development challenges included long linking times, debates over MVC patterns, and Unicode adoption.
- Stefan left Star Division due to slow progress and personal reasons but later used StarOffice and now LibreOffice daily.
- LibreOffice is now his primary tool for documents, PDFs, and e-books, with custom macros and templates.
- Stefan reflects on StarOffice's legacy as a pivotal but challenging project in his career.
It's True, "We" Don't Care About Accessibility on Linux
a year ago
- The author criticizes privileged individuals and companies for exploiting discussions about Linux accessibility without contributing meaningfully.
- Significant efforts by GNOME and KDE in improving accessibility are highlighted, including funding and hiring practices.
- The author shares personal frustrations about the lack of recognition and the toxic environment surrounding accessibility contributions.
- A detailed account of the author's unpaid contributions to GNOME's accessibility features is provided, emphasizing the substantial time and effort invested.
- The article calls for more constructive engagement from the Linux community and highlights the need for genuine support for accessibility initiatives.
Xlibre 25.0 summer solstice release
10 months ago
- Xlibre 25.0.0.0 released as a fork of Xorg Xserver with major code cleanup and new features.
- Key features include Xnamespace extension for security isolation, Xnest ported to xcb, per-ABI driver directories, and numerous fixes.
- Fork initiated due to Xorg's stagnation and resistance to contributions, highlighted by IBM/Redhat's blocking of updates.
- Xlibre aims to be inclusive and welcoming to all contributors, contrasting with Xorg's elitist history.
- Initial release considered beta; community feedback and collaboration encouraged.
- Source available on GitHub; special considerations made for Nvidia driver compatibility.
- Thanks to the community for support, especially in debugging and maintaining Nvidia driver compatibility.
SigNoz (YC W21, Open Source Datadog) Is Hiring DevRel Engineers (Remote)(US)
10 months ago
- SigNoz is an open-source alternative to DataDog and NewRelic for application monitoring.
- The project has a strong community with 21,000+ GitHub stars and 6,000+ Slack members.
- SigNoz aims to provide better tooling for software engineers to ensure seamless system operations.
- The company is backed by prominent investors, including Y Combinator.
- They are hiring developers who enjoy community engagement and technical writing.
- The hiring process includes an initial chat followed by three interviews over ~10 days.
Carrot Cache: High-Performance, SSD-Friendly Caching Library for Java
10 months ago
- Carrot Cache is a high-performance, SSD-friendly caching library for Java, now open-sourced under Apache 2.0.
- It offers advanced compression, smart data tiering, and SSD-friendly design, making it efficient for large-scale workloads.
- Key features include enhanced memory efficiency (up to 5x savings), true data tiering (RAM + SSD), and ultra-fast snapshots (150x faster than Redis).
- Supports per-object expiration, minimal metadata overhead (8–14 bytes per object), and sequential writes for SSD longevity.
- Benchmarks show Carrot Cache is 2–5.9x more memory-efficient than Caffeine and EHCache with client-side compression.
- Uses 'Herd Compression' to optimize data patterns dynamically for maximum efficiency.
- Open-source benefits include full GitHub access, community contributions, and easy integration with existing systems.
- Future plans include expanding features and integrations, like Spring Boot support.
Iapetus – A fast, pluggable open-source workflow engine for CI/CD and DevOps
10 months ago
- Open-source workflow engine for DevOps, CI/CD, and automation.
- Automate, test, and orchestrate anything—shell, container, or cloud.
- No YAML hell. No vendor lock-in. 100% open source.
- Lightning-fast: Parallel, dependency-aware execution.
- Pluggable: Bash, Docker, and custom backends.
- Assertions: Output, exit code, JSON, regex, and more.
- YAML or Go: Use as config or code.
- Battle-tested: For CI/CD, DevOps, and E2E testing.
- Parallel, dependency-aware execution.
- Built-in & custom assertions.
- Retries, timeouts, env vars, container images.
- Plugin backends: Bash, Docker, and more.
- Hooks for logging, metrics, and custom logic.
- Beautiful logs and error reporting.
- Encourages PRs, issues, and feedback.
EmacsConf 2025 Call for Participation
10 months ago
- EmacsConf 2025 is a virtual conference scheduled for December 6-7, 2025.
- The conference welcomes participants of all backgrounds and experience levels to share their Emacs-related discoveries and workflows.
- Talk proposals are due by September 19, 2025, with formats including 5-10 minute lightning talks and 20-minute detailed talks.
- Talks are encouraged to be prerecorded for accessibility, with Q&A sessions following each presentation.
- The conference supports various interaction methods for Q&A, including live video, IRC, Etherpad, wiki, or email.
- Longer sessions, tutorials, and workshops are also considered, with proposals needing an outline for extended time slots.
- Participants are encouraged to submit proposals early and can seek help via email or IRC.
- The conference seeks to highlight diverse perspectives and encourages outreach to underrepresented groups.
- Volunteers are needed for various roles, offering early access to talks and learning opportunities.
- EmacsConf is committed to using free/libre software for organization and participation.
Why Matt Mullenweg went to war over WordPress
10 months ago
- Matt Mullenweg, CEO of Automattic, discusses the company's 20-year journey, including its acquisitions like Beeper and Tumblr, and the future of WordPress and the web.
- Automattic's structure includes 'Ecosystem' (WordPress-related products) and 'Cosmos' (apps like Beeper and Tumblr), with recent organizational changes to centralize product engineering and design.
- The interview covers the legal dispute with WP Engine, where Mullenweg took aggressive actions against what he saw as free-riding on WordPress's open-source ecosystem, leading to backlash and internal buyouts.
- Mullenweg remains optimistic about the web as an application platform despite challenges in media distribution, citing traffic from AI-driven search engines and the resilience of open protocols like ActivityPub.
- Tumblr, acquired by Automattic, remains unprofitable but retains a loyal user base. Mullenweg discusses efforts to improve its usability and potential revenue models, including content licensing for AI training.
- The conversation touches on the future of interoperable social networking protocols (ActivityPub, AT Protocol, Matrix) and the importance of user experience over protocol-first thinking.
The JTAG in your Qualcomm/Snapdragon device's USB port
10 months ago
- Qualcomm released the source code for Embedded USB Debug (EUD), a debug interface built into Qualcomm SoCs since ~2018.
- EUD provides debug facilities for CPUs and Hexagon co-processors/DSPs, enabling SWD debugging over USB without external tools.
- The release includes updates to OpenOCD for EUD integration, making debugging more accessible.
- Initial setup requires minor fixes for compatibility with modern toolchains, but the process is manageable.
- EUD supports debugging U-Boot, TF-A, OP-TEE, and other low-level components, enhancing development workflows.
- Additional peripherals like UART and trace are available but not yet integrated into OpenOCD.
- EUD's availability varies by device, with some production devices unexpectedly supporting it.
- SMP support is currently lacking, and some quirks like the sticky reset bit need further investigation.
- EUD does not provide control over higher execution levels (e.g., EL2) on production devices.
- Qualcomm's open-sourcing of EUD tools marks a significant step forward for developer accessibility and low-level debugging.
Exherbo
10 months ago
- Exherbo is a stable and flexible Linux distribution aimed at developers and tinkerers.
- It offers a source-based approach with clear, up-front configuration.
- Supports decentralized development, allowing easy integration of unofficial or personal packages.
- Encourages user participation in development, with contributions from over 70 people in the first year.
- Features native multiple architecture support (multiarch) for cross-compiling.
- Uses the Paludis package manager with a custom EAPI for fast and flexible package management.
- Provides simple and safe account management.
- Tracks unwritten packages to speed up workflow.
- Supports alternatives for software, allowing better options to replace existing ones.
Introducing the first alpha of Turso: The next evolution of SQLite
10 months ago
- Announcement of 'Project Limbo', a full rewrite of SQLite, now named 'Turso'.
- First alpha release of Turso, aiming to match SQLite's reliability with advanced testing techniques.
- Offering $1,000 for finding data corruption bugs missed by their testing.
- Turso addresses modern application needs that SQLite can't handle, with over 115 contributors.
- Uses Deterministic Simulation Testing (DST) and partnership with Antithesis for robustness.
- Alpha features include basic SQLite operations and an asynchronous interface; some features still in development.
- Turso is already being used in projects like Spice.ai, showing performance improvements.
- Focus on stability and reliability achieved through partnerships with Antithesis and Blacksmith.
- Open invitation for community involvement and design partners.
LibreOffice takes aim at Microsoft Office with free guides to help users switch
10 months ago
- LibreOffice releases updated user guides for version 25.2, covering Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw, and Math.
- The guides aim to attract Windows and Office users, highlighting LibreOffice's advantages over Microsoft Office.
- New features in version 25.2 include UI tweaks, privacy features, and better interoperability with Microsoft formats.
- The Calc guide mentions a REGEX function, a feature not available in Excel, with limitations for Excel users.
- Version 25.8 beta introduces advanced spreadsheet functions like TEXTSPLIT and VSTACK for closer parity with Microsoft Office.
- Contributors include Jean Weber, Olivier Hallot, Peter Schofield, and others, with reduced delay between software release and guide publication.
- LibreOffice is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux, with guides in PDF and ODF formats, and a print edition coming soon.
A simple opensource social media researcher powered by exa ai api and youtube v
10 months ago
- Social media researcher tool powered by Exa AI API and YouTube V3.
- Currently in development, not live on yurei.app yet.
- Features include searching YouTube, Reddit, and LinkedIn (in progress).
- Uses Grok-21212 as the LLM.
- Built with Next.js, Tailwind CSS, Vercel AI SDK, Supabase, YouTube Data API v3, and Exa API.
- Requires environment variables for setup including API keys for YouTube, Exa, and XAI.
- Licensed under Apache 2.0.
Show HN: Kuvasz – an open-source uptime and SSL monitoring service
10 months ago
- Uptime monitoring with flexible configuration, adjustable intervals, headers, and more.
- SSL monitoring to check certificates daily and notify before expiration.
- Supports multiple notification channels: email, Slack, Telegram, and PagerDuty.
- Provides a fully-fledged REST API for managing monitors and checking status.
- Sleek, modern, responsive, and user-friendly UI for easy monitor management.
- Free and open-source under the Apache License 2.0.
- Tested for performance and robustness in real-world scenarios.
- Flexible configuration options: UI, API, or single YAML file.
- Named after the Kuvasz, an ancient Hungarian livestock and guard dog breed.
- Encourages support via GitHub stars or donations via Ko-fi.
OpenDrop – electro-wetting technology to control small droplets of liquids
10 months ago
- OpenDrop V4 – Digital Microfluidics Platform priced between €975.00 – €1,595.00
- OpenDrop V4 Cartridge available from €79.00 – €375.00
- Heated Pads version of OpenDrop V4 Cartridge priced at €129.00
- Digital Liquid 5ml available from €19.00 – €49.00
- Open Cartridge Kit priced at €53.00
- Digital Liquid – Magnetic Beads 200ul priced at €27.00
- OpenDrop V4 – Basic Bundle priced at €1,205.00
- OpenDrop V4 – Full Bundle priced at €2,575.00
- OpenDrop V4 – Glass Bundle priced at €1,611.00
The American DeepSeek Project
10 months ago
- The American DeepSeek Project aims to create a fully open-source AI model matching current frontier models' scale and performance within two years.
- Chinese organizations are leading in open-source AI models and research, while American influence in open-source AI is declining.
- The project seeks to reclaim AI research leadership for the West and reduce reliance on proprietary, closed AI models.
- Open-source AI models are seen as more trustworthy and accountable compared to Chinese models, which may have ties to the Chinese government.
- The initiative requires significant investment (~$100M-500M) and community support to succeed.
- The goal is to enable an open ecosystem where AI models can be specialized and trusted, fostering innovation and fairness.
- The project emphasizes the importance of timing to prevent a future dominated by closed American models and open Chinese models.
- The initiative is framed as a quintessentially American effort to democratize AI and mitigate corporate control over transformative technology.

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#opensource

Show HN: A toy version of Wireshark (student project)

FreeBSD Developers Deciding What to Do for WiFi with FreeBSD 15

Google Restricts Android Sideloading–What It Means for User Autonomy and Freedom

Xlibre project's fork of the Xorg xserver

Before LibreOffice there was OpenOffice, and before there was StarOffice

It's True, "We" Don't Care About Accessibility on Linux

Xlibre 25.0 summer solstice release

SigNoz (YC W21, Open Source Datadog) Is Hiring DevRel Engineers (Remote)(US)

Carrot Cache: High-Performance, SSD-Friendly Caching Library for Java

Iapetus – A fast, pluggable open-source workflow engine for CI/CD and DevOps

EmacsConf 2025 Call for Participation

Why Matt Mullenweg went to war over WordPress

The JTAG in your Qualcomm/Snapdragon device's USB port

Exherbo

Introducing the first alpha of Turso: The next evolution of SQLite

LibreOffice takes aim at Microsoft Office with free guides to help users switch

A simple opensource social media researcher powered by exa ai api and youtube v

Show HN: Kuvasz – an open-source uptime and SSL monitoring service

OpenDrop – electro-wetting technology to control small droplets of liquids

The American DeepSeek Project